George Orwell appeals to pathos and uses imagery to give a satirical presentation of imperialism, showing it’s negative impact on both those governed and those who govern. Throughout the entire essay, the narrator expresses various feelings of hatred, fear, anxiety, and doubt. He resents the fact that hs is in a position of authority, yet mocked. He resents that he is forced to continue his career despite the fact that he detests British imperialism. He resents that he must deal with the internal conflice of struggle and self-image. By showing these emotions, the audience becomes more aware of the narrator’s mental state and is drawn towards his pathos appeal as the essay continues. He feels that in Burma was the “only time in [his] life that …show more content…
The entire mood of the essay is determined when Orwell first proclaims the setting to be a “cloudy, stuffing morning at the beginnings of the rains” (1). This line foreshadows the entire situation to be weak and discomforting as drab weather. Later, when the narrator looks back on the natives standing behind him, he sees a “sea of yellow faces,” with “two thousand wills presing [him] forward, irresistibly” (2). This image of an uncontrollable sea pushing the narrator forward like an indominable wall creates a sense of power behind the actual image of powerless natives. Through this imagery, Orwell is able to highlight both the uncontrollable nature of mob mentality, but also the helpless nature of an imperalist conqueror. In this moment, when the “white man turns tyrant, it is his own freedom he destroys” (2). The narrator realizes that he is forced to put on a façade of power when the people demand it. As Orwell mulls over the critical decision, he comes upon the realization that the “white man” must display strength and authority when the people demand it. In this scene, Orwell also juxtaposes the powerful “white man” against an “absurd puppet… a hollow, posing dummy… about to perform a trick” (2). The narrator is equated to a helpless doll forced to move whenever the native demand. He becomes a symbol of false authority. By using these paradoxes, Orwell is able to show the